Sunday, November 19, 2023, 08:34
You could say that Orihuela is the monumental city of the 50 shields. Those are the ones that at least, outside of environments already declared BIC, could be susceptible to being protected, according to the list prepared by former municipal archaeologist Emilio Diz. These emblems, once a symbol of ostentation and nobility, now go unnoticed in the historic center as just another element of urban furniture, but since 1967 they have been considered in legislation as elements to be protected from the Spanish Historical Heritage.
Speakers or not, each one is the perennial memory of an entire family saga and, in the once aristocratic Orihuela, there were of all stripes, with renowned positions in the civil and ecclesiastical spheres. But their undoubted historical value, however, has not sometimes saved them from real outrages. Some have been lost, others have ended up thrown into warehouses, waste dumps and some were even deprived of the palace that accompanied them, as is the case of the coat of arms of the Ruiz de Villafranca, planted as if it were a totem in the middle of the Plaza del Teniente Linares. and next to an old Tourist Office, still pending demolition.
«We already managed to protect the shield of the Clockmaker of Valencia’s house when they tried to demolish it»
Javier Sanchez
Historian
Some historians, such as the former director of the Historical Archive Javier Sánchez Portas, demand that these shields be truly valued and protected under that Franco law, developed in 1998 by Valencia, which prevents anything from being done with them when they turn a century old. . Portas, furthermore, has experience. According to what he says, he prevented one of Valencia’s shields from being lost. «Mayor Rita Barberá wanted to demolish the Clockmaker’s house, next to the ‘miguelete’, and thanks to the fact that we asked for the protection of the shield we prevented it. “She wanted to put a little square in its place,” he recalls.
From the City Council, when asked by this newspaper, they assure that they are working on it, but that the project they have is in a “very initial phase,” they say without going into details. Sánchez Portas, for his part, proposes that the shields return to their original places if they are known. This is what they did, without going any further, in Murcia, where many of these emblems that were displayed on the facades of palaces demolished by the brilliance of brick were replaced in the locations they once occupied.
In this sense, the former director of the Historical Archive recalls that the City Council has at least two shields stored and that these were exposed to the elements in the municipal collection of Molins. “Even picking up moss,” he denounces. These came from the old Trinidad mill. There, he explains, before its demolition, there were two emblems: that of the Soler family and a shield of the patriarch of Antioquia and founder of the Oriolana university, Fernando de Loazes.
The omnipresent Oriol
But, everything must be said, this last one is an exceptional case. For the most part, these coats of arms have been relocated to other locations, distorting the place for which they were conceived. There are examples to bore. One of the oldest preserved shields of the city, with the Oriol, is found in one of the entrances to the old hospital (now the María Moliner library) next to two pomegranates, symbol of the hospital order of San Juan. This could come from what was the first Town Hall, located above the entrance to the walled area by the Old Bridge. But the thing is that, in addition, the one that stood in the second City Hall that existed, the old Pósito of the Plaza Nueva, is now on the façade of the current Town Hall that faces the Plaza del Carmen. Right there, in the hallway of what was the Palace of the Marquis of Arneva, three other shields are also preserved hanging on the wall and whose origin is unknown.
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shields
They are distributed throughout different parts of the municipal area; Among them, six are on private farms in districts and only one on the coast.
Also in the very heart of the ancient city you can find imitation shields. This is the case of those that are displayed in the Fernando de Loazes library. Contrary to what is believed, these shields are nothing more than a mold imitation of the originals that were displayed in what was once the Palace of the Dukes of Pinohermoso, demolished in the 90s to make the modern building that houses what is considered the heir. of the first public library in Spain.
Although the majority remain in the city, there are up to seven shields spread across other places in the municipality. According to Emilio Diz’s report, they are distributed in different districts. Thus, a shield can be found in the Molino de la Ciudad hermitage and many others in private estates on Camino de Enmedio, El Escorratel, El Mudamiento, Torremendo, as well as on the Camino Viejo de Almoradí or in the Montepinar urbanization.
Very notable is the only emblem of the city that is found in Orihuela Costa. Located next to the Villamartín golf course, it adorns the main entrance to what was the residence of the famous businessman Antonio Pedrera, who died in 2013. His house has been for sale for years. Sánchez Portas remembers that this shield was carried by the famous promoter from the historic center after a demolition. “It was in the Plaza de la Soledad, it was the shield of the Balaguer family,” details the historian.
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